When discussing the Nanjing Massacre, did the two women writers commit suicide because they couldn't stand it?

Zhang Chunru, a 36-year-old young writer and author of Nanjing Massacre, committed suicide.

Zhang Chunru (1March 28th, 968-June 5438+065438+1October 9th, 2004), a famous Chinese American woman writer, historian and freelance writer, is famous for publishing the British historical work "Nanjing Massacre".

The Creation Process of Nanjing Massacre

199765438+February, 60th anniversary of Nanjing Massacre. In the past three years, Zhang Chunru visited many survivors around the world, consulted a large number of historical documents, and wrote and published the English version of Nanjing Massacre on the basis of various shocking materials. This book shocked the western world as soon as it was published, and it was reprinted more than ten times in the following years. Up to now, it has printed nearly one million copies. With her impeccable efforts and courage, Chunru faced up to that terrible memory in human history. She told the world that the history of cannibalism of human compatriots is long and tragic, and few disasters can be compared with the Nanjing Massacre during World War II. William Kirby, head of the history department of Harvard University and a professor of modern history in China, wrote in the preface: "The atrocities in Nanjing have almost been forgotten in the west, so the publication of this book is particularly important. Miss Zhang called it the' forgotten massacre' and linked the massacres of millions of innocent people in Europe and Asia during World War II. "

Zhang Chunru, who is quiet, likes writing since he was a child, and likes this free expression. In her view, writing is to spread social conscience. Real writers don't play with words, but convey the thoughts and feelings needed by society through words. When I was a child, when I was chatting with my parents, my parents often mentioned 1937 what happened in a city called Nanjing on the other side of the ocean, how her grandfather escaped from that hell on earth, and how the Yangtze River was dyed red with blood. ...

1994 65438+In February, when Zhang Chunru first saw the black-and-white photos of the Nanjing Massacre in California, he felt extremely angry. Nanjing does exist, and so does the Holocaust. But why do some people deny it, and in all English non-fiction books, there is no mention of this history that should not be forgotten? Just as a shock to this phenomenon, almost all westerners know about Hitler's crimes, but no one knows about the Japanese massacre in China. She felt heart palpitations.

For a material society like America, it is inconceivable for a young girl to spend several years writing a history book, because young people have to race against time to make money and get married. However, the 25-year-old girl had an idea: "I don't care if this book can make money." For me, I just want people all over the world to know what happened to 1937 in Nanjing. " After the publication of Nanjing Atrocities, she was also surprised by the enthusiastic response from American readers. She said: "Although this book is important, I thought only the library would appreciate it." But Chunru also believes that the truth is indestructible, and everyone should work together to ensure that the truth is preserved and remembered.

The Nanjing Atrocities published by 1997 broke into the best-seller list of The New York Times in the United States within one month and was named the most popular book of the year. In famous bestseller columns such as LA Times and USA-Today, Nanjing Atrocities is also on the list. American Newsweek commented on this book: bravely reviewing the most heinous scene in World War II, which changed the situation that all English-speaking countries did not record the Nanjing Massacre in detail.

From 65438 to 0998, the Chinese American Women's Association awarded Zhang Chunru the "Outstanding Woman of the Year Award", and many universities and organizations awarded her various honorary certificates; American Reader's Digest also featured Zhang Chunru on its cover. As a young minority writer, Zhang Chunru's strong sense of justice and outstanding talent have established a good image of Chinese in mainstream American society and become a real model for Chinese youth all over the world.

Zhang Chunru was awarded the title of "Woman of the Year" by the MacArthur Foundation's peace and international cooperation project and the American Chinese community, and was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Pacific Cultural Foundation and the Harry Durman Library. Zhang Chunru was once the cover figure of Reader's Digest, the most famous digest magazine in the world, and was invited by many TV programs, including the famous news talk show Evening News and Jim Lehrer News Time, and also wrote articles for many publications, including The New York Times and Newsweek. She, NBA sports star "Oriental Giant" Yao Ming and famous pianist Lang Lang are regarded as the three most striking Chinese youths in the United States.

The painful course of Nanjing massacre

In the "stove" Nanjing, she works 10 hours every day.

In order to write "Nanjing Atrocities", Chunru collected a large number of materials in China, Japan, Germany and Britain, as well as unpublished diaries, notes, letters, government reports and other original materials. She even consulted the trial transcripts of Tokyo war criminals and contacted Japanese World War II veterans through letters.

Zhu Chengshan, director of the memorial hall for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese invaders, has had many contacts with Chun Ru, who has always admired Zhang Chunru's persistence, intellectuality and courage in pursuing the truth. Commenting on the book "Nanjing Atrocities", he said that for a long time, western countries only knew that the Nazis slaughtered Jews, but they didn't know that the Japanese invaders massacred China madly in World War II. International public opinion only condemns the atrocities committed by the Nazis in World War II, and rarely criticizes the atrocities committed by Japanese militarism in World War II. One of the important reasons is that in the decades since the victory of World War II, the mainstream western society has given too little publicity to the historical facts of Japan's invasion of China, and its voice is too weak. At this time, there is such a weak woman who is willing to stand up. This spirit is really commendable.

Zhu Chengshan regretted the death of Chunru very much. He once told reporters, "For Chunru's parents and children, they lost their daughters and mothers; For the people of China, what they have lost is an honest compatriot and friend; For the whole world, what they lost was a person who dared to tell the truth and tried to convince others of the facts. " Wang Weixing, deputy director of the Institute of History of Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences, helped Zhang Chunru collect a lot of historical materials. He recalled that Zhang Chunru stayed in Nanjing for about 25 days in July 1995. "She was only 27 years old at that time, and she often caught a cold because of the climate, but her work was not delayed at all. It was very hot in Nanjing at that time. Regardless of her health, she spent most of her time interviewing survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, looking for places where Japanese atrocities occurred and reading domestic materials. She works more than 65,438+00 hours a day. " Associate Professor Yang, who was still a pure translator at that time, recalled: "Her Chinese level was average and she couldn't understand Chinese materials, so I had to translate word for word for her. She is serious and rigorous, and often checks the facts with American materials and China materials. She didn't know much about the dialects of the survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, but she recorded them all. She usually asks questions at the end, and sometimes she really feels a little paranoid. " In the process of collecting information, Zhang Chunru's greatest achievement was to let the people of China find "Schindler of China"-Mr. john rabe and Rabe's diary which recorded the Nanjing Massacre in detail.